Coal-car cover.



E. IVI. SHORTER,

COAL CAR COVER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.2. 1918.

l ,260,@'?8 yPatellted Mar. 19, 19I8.

2 SHEETSSHEET I,

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E. NI. SHURTER.

COAL CAR COVER. APPLICATION FILED IAII.2. Ie'I.

' Patented Mar. I9, 19l8.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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nivranunr. n. snoa'rnn, or BrnMrneHai/r, ALABAMA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented M ar. i9, lil.

Application filed January 2, 1.918. Serial No. 210,016.

To all wlw/m @'25 may concern `Be it 1irnown that l, EMANUEL M. Si-roirrna, acitizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of alabama, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Coal-Car Coi/1 ers; and l do declare the following te be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple yet efficient cover for coal and similar cars to prevent either less or theft of the contents, provision being made whereby the cover of wire net or the like may be easily extended over the car when loaded and withdrawn for loading and unloading.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which form a part 0f this specification and in Whichz Figure l is a side elevation of a coal car equipped with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section showing more particularly the means for holding the shafts in raised position; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective of the wheel on one end of one of the winding shafts.

ln the drawings above briefl 1 described the numeral l designates a common forni of car for hauling coal and similar material, and in order to prevent theft of any of the contents, or loss if loaded to the maximum, the present invention is provided.

Arched bars 2 are secured to each end of the car l and extend from one side thereofto the other, said bars having openings 3 or teeth if preferred, to engage the teeth 4l of wheels 5 which are formed with rectangular openings 6 receiving the squared ends 7 of a pair of winding shafts 8 extending the full length of the car. Openings are preferably provided in the bars 2 for the reception of the teeth el since by this means, the wheels 5 are prevented from sliding from the shafts and said shafts are held against longitudinal shifting.

@ne end of each shaft 8 is provided with a suitable handle 8 preferably pivoted thereto as shown and by this means the shafts may be rotated to cause them to roll the bottoms or tops of the arched bars Q. ln order that the shafts may be positioned in close relation when at the tops of the arches, the wheels 5 of one shaft are offset from those of the other and the openings 3 in the opposite halves ofA the arches are similarly offset.

lTwo cover sections or net-s 9 are secured along one edge to the sides of the car and at their opposite edges are suitably secured to the shafts S, so that as the latter are rolled upwardly along the bars 2, the nets will be extended over the car, while rotation of the shafts in the other direction, will lower them and simultaiiieously wind the screens thereon so that they will not offer obstruction to loading and unloading. The spaces between the bars 2 and the ends of the car are provided with permanent nets or other suitable closures 10 and the centers of these bars are preferably supported by struts l1.

To retain the Wheels 5 upon the arched bars 2, other arched bars l2 are secured to the sides of the car and pass over the ends of the shafts 8, and although other means could be employed for holding the shafts in raised position, a pair of dogs 13 are preferably mounted on one bar l2 for this purpose, said dogs being pivcted to a lug` or the like 13 and depending through a slot 14 in said bar for engagement with the shafts as seen in Fig. l?. rEhe upper ends of the dogs preferably overlap and are provided vvith openings 15 through which a loclr or seal 16 may be passed when the car is loaded and covered with the nets 9.

ldhen the loaded car has reached its des tination, the seal 16 is broken and the dogs 13 are released sothat the shafts 8 may be rolled downwardly to wind the nets and give access to the load. During transit the nets prevent loss 0r theft but when loading or unloading, they are substantially out of the way.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that although my invention is rather simple and inexpensive, it will be of great advantage. Since probably the best results are obtained from the several specific details shown and described, these details are preferably employed, but within the scope prising arched rack bars at the ends of the ear, a pair of longitudinal shafts having wheels resting on said rack bars, means for.

rotating said shafts to roll said wheels along said bars, a `pair of nets secured at one edge to the sides of the oar, the other edges of said nets being secured to said shafts to beV wound thereon as said shafts are rotated toward the lower ends of the arches, and means for holdingsaid shafts in raised p0- sition.

2. A structure as specied in claim l, to-

Copies of this patent may be obtained'for gether with additional arched bars secured n to the car and passing over said shafts to ln testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribingY witnesses.

EMANUEL M. SHORTER. Witnesses:

JOHN B. REED, SAML. SMiTH.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents` Washington, D. C. 

